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TFC Republic Weekly: November 3-9

Several important roster decisions loom for Toronto FC on option-declined players ahead of the MLS deadline on Nov. 26.

John Molinaro

Nov 3, 2025 — 7 min read

Welcome to the latest edition of TFC Republic Weekly, an email newsletter that will land in the inbox of both paid subscribers and free members of TFC Republic every Monday.

This newsletter will look at what's in store over the next seven days for Toronto FC, and also get a glimpse of what to expect at TFC Republic in the coming days.

So, without further ado...

Important roster decisions still loom for Toronto FC

Late last month, Toronto FC announced it picked up its contract options for the 2026 MLS season on six of 14 players: defenders Kobe Franklin and Nicksoen Gomis; midfielders Malik Henry and Kosi Thompson; and forwards Deandre Kerr and Jules-Anthony Vilsaint.

The eight players who didn't have their options exercised were goalkeeper Sean Johnson; defenders Kevin Long, Raoul Petretta and Sigurd Rosted; midfielder Nathaniel Edwards; and forwards Derrick Etienne Jr, Hugo Mbongue and Charlie Sharp.

But that doesn't necessarily mean that all eight players are leaving TFC. It's important to remember that in the past some players in this situation had their deals renegotiated (most times on a more salary-cap friendly contract) and come back for another year.

Toronto FC said it will remain in contract conversations with select players from the group of eight, and sources told TFC Republic that the Reds are negotiating with Johnson, who earned $1,063,125 US this season.

The Reds can re-sign any of the eight players to new deals by the Nov. 26 league deadline. If a new contract can't be agreed upon by then, the players will be free to walk, or they can continue to negotiate with TFC. In the case of Johnson and Etienne, they would become free agents and would be able to sign with another MLS club starting on Dec. 10 and Toronto wouldn't receive any kind of compensation.

Salaries for Mihailovic, Cifuentes revealed

The Major League Soccer Players Association website released its updated list of player salaries last week. Djordje Mihailovic and José Cifuentes joined Toronto FC during the summer's secondary transfer window, after the MLSPA’s previous salary list was published in late June, so we didn't know how much the Reds' high-profile newcomers were earning.

Thanks to the latest update, we now know that Mihailovic is making $2,278,335 US and Cifuentes is pulling down $1,405,000. Malik Henry, another summer addition for TFC, is on $80,622. It's important to note that Mihailovic's status as a Designated Player and Cifuentes' TAM-level deal means they only carry a salary cap hit of $743,750 (the league maximum), even though they earn much more than that amount.

Toronto acquired attacking Mihailovic via a cash-for-player trade with the Colorado Rapids for $8 million US and up to $1 million in conditional cash if certain performance-based metrics are met. Colorado also retained a sell-on percentage if the player is traded or transferred. Mihailovic is under contract to TFC through the end of 2028 with a club option for 2029.

Mihailovic, 26, hit the ground running after the move from Colorado by finishing with four goals and four assists in just 10 appearances for Toronto. His eight goal contributions tied him with Theo Corbeanu (32 games) and Federico Bernardeschi (15) for the club lead on the season.

Toronto FC acquired Cifuentes on loan from Rangers of the Scottish Premiership. The loan agreement on the Ecuadorian midfielder runs through June 30, 2026, with a purchase option. Cifuentes, 26, had one assist in seven appearances (six starts) for Toronto.

Important off-season dates to remember

With TFC coming off a disappointing campaign, this off-season is going to be one of the most important in club history. Club management will have to make a series of moves in order to improve the roster and set things right for the 2026 MLS campaign. With this in mind, here are some important off-season dates to circle on your calendar.

Nov. 26 – This is the deadline for all MLS clubs to decide which players will have their contract options exercised and which players won't. Toronto FC already announced it declined its options on these eight players: Sean Johnson, Kevin Long, Raoul Petretta, Sigurd Rosted, Nathaniel Edwards, Derrick Etienne Jr, Hugo Mbongue and Charlie Sharp. TFC remains in contract conversations with select players from this group and can re-sign them to new deals by the Nov. 26 league deadline. If a new contract can't be agreed upon by then, the players will be free to walk.

Dec. 10 – Free agency kicks off! MLS clubs can start engaging with players, other than their own, who are eligible for free agency. Free agency eligible players are out-of-contract and option-declined players who are at least 24 years old and who have completed a minimum of four years of service in MLS.

Dec. 11 – The MLS re-entry process kicks off with stage 1. Essentially, this applies to players who are at least 22 years old with one year of MLS service, and who are out of contract (or had their option declined) but are not eligible for free agency. Players who go into the re-entry process are eligible to be selected by another MLS team. Stage 1 and 2 of the re-entry process are conducted in the reverse order of the league standings at the end of the regular season, taking post-season performance into account.

Dec. 11 - The end-of-year waivers process begins. The waiver process pertains to players whose contract options were not exercised and who are not eligible for free agency or the re-entry process. The waiver process is conducted in the reverse order of the league standings at the end of the regular season, taking post-season performance into account.

Dec. 17 – Stage 2 of the re-entry process, which consists of MLS players who were not selected in Stage 1.

Dec. 18 – The 2026 MLS SuperDraft will consist of three rounds. The draft order is set by taking the reverse order of the league standings at the end of the regular season, taking post-season performance into account.

CPL Final on Sunday: Cavalry FC vs. Atlético Ottawa

For the first time in its history, the Canadian Premier League final will not involve Forge FC.

Forge suffered a 1-0 home loss to Cavalry FC in Sunday's CPL playoff semifinal, which set up a Cavalry vs. Atlético Ottawa final on Sunday at TD Place Stadium in the nation's capital. While Ottawa will be looking to win its first ever North Star Cup, Cavalry is attempting to repeat as league champions and cement its status as the new kingpins of the CPL.

That title used to belong to Forge who have won three CPL crowns (the only team to win multiple league championships) and were involved in all six CPL Finals up to this point.

Ottawa holds the edge over Cavalry heading into Sunday's game, having won three of the four regular season meetings (with one draw) between the clubs. The winner will also qualify for the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup and join Forge FC and FC Vancouver as the CPL's representatives in the continental competition.

Note: I will be at TD Place Stadium to cover Sunday's game, so be sure to visit TFC Republic all weekend in order to check out our special on-site coverage.

Stories to look out for at TFC Republic

It's been said in this space so many times before, but it bears repeating one more time: This will be the most important off-season in Toronto FC's history. With that come a lot of big questions that the Reds will be facing this winter. What are some of those questions? I will look at them in a special feature story later this week.

Other stories that will be published later this week include:

A feature story on Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio.
A feature story on TFC defender Zane Monlouis.
A new TFC Talk interview with beat reporter James Grossi.
The weekly "TFC Random Thoughts" column.
Part 3 of our "TFC year in review" series looks back at the month of March.
A feature on TFC 2 that looks back at their 2025 season.
The reader mailbag.
A new instalment in our TFC flashback history series.
Regular "TFC Tidbits" stories throughout the week.
In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of the CPL Final.
And much more!

TFC Republic mailbag

TFC Republic will feature a regular reader mailbag column where I answer questions from subscribers about Toronto FC and Canadian soccer in general.

I'll answer the best questions submitted to me by TFC Republic readers, so feel free to drop me an email at jmo1897@gmail.com. You can also reach out to me via Twitter.

(Top photo by Lucas Kschischang/Toronto FC)

TFC Republic has a comments section! At the very bottom of every story, there is a feature where you can post your comments, so be sure to share your thoughts and views.